The railroad operates summer tourist trains between the communities of Georgetown and Silver Plume, a distance of . The railroad route is long and ascends an elevation of through mountainous terrain along with trestles, cuts, fills, and switchback loops. Trains May, 2007 p 56

History

The Georgetown Loop Railroad was one of Colorado’s first visitor attractions. This spectacular stretch of narrow gauge railroad was completed in 1884 and considered an engineering marvel for its time. The thriving mining towns of Georgetown and Silver Plume lie apart in steep, narrow Clear Creek west of Denver. Engineers designed a corkscrew route that traveled nearly twice that distance to connect them, slowly gaining more than in elevation. It included horseshoe curves, grades of up to 4 %, and 4 bridges across Clear Creek, including the massive Devil’s Gate High Bridge. In 1881, the Georgetown, Breckenridge and Leadville Railroad was formed under the Union Pacific Railroad. In 1893, the Colorado and Southern Railway took over the line and operated it for passengers and freight until 1938. Originally part of the larger line of Colorado Central Railroad constructed in the 1870s and 1880s, it was later dismantled, but was restored in the 1980s to operate during summer months as a...Read More